


Silver Fox

by Eggsyobsessed



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Aging, But Merlin Fixes It, Eggsy Unwin is a Little Vein, Future Fic, It's a little silly, Long-Suffering Merlin (Kingsman), M/M, Merlin is a Little Shit, Self-Esteem Issues, Until it isn't, grey hairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 20:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30094974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggsyobsessed/pseuds/Eggsyobsessed
Summary: Eggsy discovers his first grey hair. He's upset, scared and claiming it's the end of his youth. Merlin is exasperated, until he realizes what this means for his husband, and then reminds Eggsy beauty doesn't end with age.
Relationships: Merlin/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	Silver Fox

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Birdie_Castellan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdie_Castellan/gifts).



> I just had the idea of Eggsy finding his first grey hair, so of course Birdie_Castellan fueled my idea, so gifting it to them!

“No,” Eggsy whispered, mortified at the sight of himself in the mirror. “NO!” He shouted, grabbing at the thick, shiny silvery strand of hair in his part. “What the fuck!” His voice got louder, not like he was quiet the first time around.

Between his forefinger and thumb contained a grey strand of hair. His first grey hair! Eggsy grabbed a pair of tweezers, the ones Merlin liked to use in order to pluck those really long as fuck nose hairs, and aimed to pluck that sucker right from the root!

He stopped when he heard, “Plucking one sprouts three more, Eggsy,” in Harry’s voice, recalling the time he watched his formed mentor, now boss, tint his hair. The bloke had a full head of grey at 70 years old, and still to this day colored it. Eggsy swore he’d never be like that, that was until this very day!

It weren’t like a grey hair was completely unrealistic, not since he celebrated his 42nd birthday two months ago, but that was beside the point! Eggsy had somehow maintained his honey-brown strands without having to tint it, not like some other men he knew. Cough, Harry Hart. So to say he was shocked, was a vast understatement!

Eggsy was bloody astonished!

“Babe!” Eggsy called, a bit frantic and manic sounding. “Can you come here? Emergency!”

He heard the scrape of wheels against a plastic surface, indicating Merlin rolled from his computer desk, and a set of feet bounded up the hall shortly after. Right when Eggsy returned the tweezers to their rightful spot, Merlin appeared in the doorway to their en-suite, looking fit as always, even at 65. The bastard. He seemed mildly concerned, a layer of disinterest filled his eyes, but Eggsy could tell he worked hard to appear otherwise.

Always the supportive sort. It’s why Eggsy loved him so much.

“Look!” Eggsy pointed toward the invading strand. “You see that?” He turned from the mirror to face his husband, who even with his glasses squinted to see the source of Eggsy’s distress.

Even then Merlin said, “What exactly am I looking at?”

Eggsy huffed and crossed the room, clearly his husband’s vision was bad enough he couldn’t see across the small distance between them. He stabbed a finger in the general direction of his hair, the grey hair...a strand that indicated he was getting old.

Merlin’s eyes wrinkled around the corners, as he strained to see what Eggsy so obviously saw a mile away.

“It’s hair, my heart,” he finally said with a shrug. “Is it nae parted the way ye like? Need me to help?”

Eggsy felt his last bit of patience, regarding his husband’s blindness, slip away. “It’s a grey hair! A bloody grey hair!”

Merlin hummed, leaned forward to get a better gander, and muttered, “So it is.” As if this weren’t the most awful thing to end Eggsy’s youth.

“So it is?” Eggsy snarked. “It’s GREY, Hamish! My first one!”

Merlin snorted, “No, it’s not.” He then passed Eggsy, who now stood frozen in place, to take a piss like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on him. Merlin washed his hands.

He thawed enough to spin around on a heel, glaring at Merlin through the mirror. “Wot you mean ‘it’s not’?” Eggsy emphasized his point by providing air quotations.

Merlin dried his hands, turned to face Eggsy, and leaned against the counter, his expression close to one of exasperation. “I mean that I noticed a gathering of them in the back, years ago,” he dully responded.

Eggsy’s brows shot up to his hairline. “YEARS ago? Like 10? 15? 6? Be specific here, Hamish. This defines the end of my youth!” He rattled off until he was just short of screaming.

The wanker had the nerve to cough on laughter. “I didn’t mark it on the calendar,” Merlin admitted. He sagged a bit, sighing with a shake of his head. “Ye are 42, my heart. You had to expect it’d happen sooner or later.”

Eggsy squawked indignantly. “I refuse to get old!” Merlin rolled his eyes and muttered something about peacocks and lost youth a decade ago. “You think it’s funny, but you ain’t gonna think it’s a joke when you turn over one day and I’m as wrinkled as a leather jacket!”

“For fucks sake, Eggsy! It’s just a few grey hairs!” Merlin growled when Eggsy gently shoved him out of the way, making room for him to examine his face in the mirror. “I can’t believe I have to deal with this shite all over again.” Merlin rubbed his temples. “If ye are going to have a melodramatic break, go see Harry. Please.”

Eggsy ignored him and stressed over every line, spot, freckle and fuck. Were those wrinkles around his eyes? And not just some dashingly attractive laugh lines? Eggsy whimpered.

Merlin went to reach for Eggsy, in some act of comfort, when their 15 year old daughter appeared in the doorway.

“What’s he doing?” Erin frowned as her younger father began applying cream to his face.

“He found a grey hair.” Merlin deadpanned, sounding more exhausted than he had after 16 hours with a new batch of recruits.

Erin raised a brow and looked up at Merlin. “So?”

Eggsy’s hands came down on the countertop with a loud thwack. “So! So I’m getting old!” He fretted, sounding as high pitched as their Great Dane, Harlo’s, squeaky toy.

Erin chuckled, “You’ve always been old, Dad.”

If her hazel eyes, dark brown hair and height had any bearing on their theory Erin was biologically Merlin’s, that statement proved it enough.

“Always been old! Now you listen here—“

“Eggsy,” Merlin softly warned.

“Nah, babe! Ain’t always been old!” He glared at their daughter.

Erin then only smirked and gestured with a forefinger around Eggsy’s face. “You’re making the wrinkles worse, Dad.”

“Erin!”

“Babe!”

Eggsy and Merlin shouted, both in separate octaves, in perfect unison.

Just as it looked like Merlin was about to scold their daughter, their 10 year old son, Ryan, walked in, looking confused and distracted with a headset covering his ears. Swear down, they couldn’t get that boy off video games or his phone. Except at the dinner table, all electronics were banned from meal time. On more than one occasion, Eggsy was reminded by his husband that their son must be the descendant of Eggsy’s sperm collection, Merlin wasn’t that game driven.

Or it could have to do with his sharp, G.I Joe like jaw line and sunny smile that reminded Merlin so much of his husband.

“What’s all the yelling about? I could hear you past my game.” Which only proved how loud they were.

Merlin removed his glasses, sighed, and rubbed his face like this was going to age him. “Yer Dad found a grey hair, Erin made an unacceptable comment—“ he eyed the defiant teenager, sending a silent warning that there would be consequences for her words, “—and now we’re dealing with the rest.” He refrained from mentioning how dramatic Eggsy had been, because he didn’t need to fuel Erin’s behavior.

Ryan rocked back on his heels, “Huh. Thought you already had some?”

Eggsy’s lower lip wobbled.

“Alright! Out of the bathroom, the two of ye!” Merlin ushered the kids out, trying to salvage some of Eggsy’s ego, and closed their bedroom door, locking it.

Merlin turned back to their bedroom, finding Eggsy now seated on the edge of the bottom of their bed, and sat beside him with a long sigh. Lord save him from the men in his life that thought grey hairs, wrinkles and age spots were the end of the world. But he loved Eggsy, cared for Harry—he was his best friend after all—and so if this was a big deal to his husband, then it should matter to Merlin.

No matter how trivial Merlin found it.

He took Eggsy’s hand in his, pulled it into his lap, and gave it a squeeze. “It doesn’t look bad,” he softly started.

Eggsy gazed at him with water filled eyes. “You say that now,” he argued and continued, even when Merlin wished to speak. “I’m getting old! Soon you’ll think I’m ugly. What with my grey hair, wrinkles and spots!”

Merlin felt a sigh bubble up but swallowed the urge in order to support his husband; this really scared Eggsy.

“I won’t,” he swore. “I’ll think you’re just as gorgeously handsome and attractive as I do now, and as the day I laid eyes on ye.” Eggsy’s smile was soft and wet. “And I won’t ever think you’re ugly. Or too old, or too grey.” Merlin’s fingers swept through Eggsy’s ever thinning hair, but Merlin would save that meltdown for another day, and captured pouty lips in a warm kiss filled with his love. “I love you, Eggsy. Always have, always will, no matter how young or old you are.”

Eggsy laughed breathlessly and tipped forward until their foreheads touched. “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”

Yes, Merlin wished to answer, but that would only add petrol to an already scorching fire. He shook his head, keeping his hand cupped behind Eggsy’s head, cradling it as his nails moved along his scalp.

“It’s something that scares you. Where I don’t believe it’s anything you need to worry about, I understand.”

Eggsy leaned into his touch and frowned. “But you ain’t worried. You carry age well, like a bloody well aged wine, ain’t you?”

Merlin chuckled and bobbed his head back, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment before he brought his eyes back down, to fondly smile at his vein husband. “Nae. Don’t you think I was terrified you’d leave me for someone younger? That when I needed my knee replaced, you’d realize I was too old? My body is falling apart, and you’re still able to put new recruits to shame on the course. Out run them all!” Merlin exclaimed with pride.

Eggsy’s eyes shyly shifted away. “Well…”

Merlin placed a tender peck to his lips. “Well nothing. You're not the one to worry, it is me. But I don’t, because you show me every day how much I mean to you.” He raised a brow, tipped his head to the side, hoping Eggsy saw he had little to fear. “And isn’t that all that matters? That I love you, you love me? Even with my bald head, wrinkled face and age spots?”

Eggsy grabbed his arm, yanked him closer, and gave Merlin a good proper snog until the older man was breathless. “I love everything about you, you’re mine,” he growled, possession deep within the words.

Merlin grinned, “I am yours.” He sealed the promise with another smooch, then stood and pulled Eggsy up with him. “Now come on, my gorgeous silver fox. We have dinner to make.”

Eggsy stopped them in the doorway. "Silver fox?"

"Aye," Merlin breathed against his lips. "It's the new thing, haven't you heard?" Eggsy's frown deepened. "An attractive, middle aged man with mostly silver or grey hair." Merlin pecked his lips. "And you, my husband, will be the MOST attractive silver fox, to have ever lived."

"Sap," Eggsy claimed in a quiet voice.

"Only for you," Merlin assured and headed toward the kitchen.

Eggsy followed him out with a wide grin on his face, and ignored the apparent noises of disgust from their two nosy children. Who claimed that Merlin and Eggsy were BOTH too old to be that gross and affectionate.

He wouldn’t ever be too old to love up on his man, no matter all the grey hairs in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little silliness! 
> 
> Come find me on tumblr: @stronglyobsessed


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